Chemical compounds

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to polymorphisms in the human P2X 7  gene and corresponding novel allelic polypeptides encoded thereby. The invention also relates to methods and materials for analysing allelic variation in the P2X 7  gene, and to the use of P2X 7  polymorphism in treatment of diseases with P2X 7  drugs.

[0001] This invention relates to polymorphisms in the human P2X₇ gene and corresponding novel allelic polypeptides encoded thereby. The invention also relates to methods and materials for analysing allelic variation in the P2X₇ gene, and to the use of P2X₇ polymorphism in treatment of diseases with P2X₇ drugs.

[0002] The P2X₇ receptor (previously known as P2Z receptor), which is a ligand-gated ion channel is present on a variety of cell types, largely those known to be involved in the inflammatory/immune process, specifically, macrophages, mast cells and lymphocytes (T and B). Activation of the P2X₇ receptor by extracellular nucleotides, in particular adenosine triphosphate, leads to the release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and giant cell formation (macrophages/microglial cells), degranulation (mast cells) and L-selectin shedding (lymphocytes). P2X₇ receptors are also located on antigen-presenting cells (APC), keratinocytes, salivary acinar cells (parotid cells) and hepatocytes. Compounds acting at the P2X₇ receptor are therefore indicated as pharmaceuticals for use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, allergic dermatitis, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), hyperresponsiveness of the airway, septic shock, glomerulonephritis, irritable bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, atherosclerosis, growth and metastases of malignant cells, myoblastic leukaemia, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, meningitis, osteoporosis, burn injury, ischaemic heart disease, stroke and varicose veins. For further background, the reader is referred to the following articles: North and Barnard in Current Opinion in Neurobiology 1997, 7, 34&357; Rassendren, JBC, 1997, 273, 5482-6; and Buell Receptors and Channels, 1998, 5, 347-354. The terms P2X₇, P2X₇ receptor and P2RX7 are used interchangeably herein.

[0003] All positions herein of polymorphisms in the 5′ UTR region of the P2X₇ polynucleotide relate to the position in SEQ ID NO 1 unless stated otherwise or apparent from the context.

[0004] All positions herein of polymorphisms in the exon regions of the P2X₇ polynucleotide relate to the position in SEQ ID NO 2 unless stated otherwise or apparent from the context.

[0005] All positions herein of polymorphisms in the intron regions of the P2X₇ polynucleotide relate to the position in SEQ ID NO 3 unless stated otherwise or apparent from the context.

[0006] All positions herein of polymorphisms in the P2X₇ polypeptide relate to the position in SEQ ID NO 4 unless stated otherwise or apparent from the context.

[0007] One approach is to use knowledge of polymorphisms to help identify patients most suited to therapy with particular pharmaceutical agents (this is often termed “pharmacogenetics”) Pharmacogenetics can also be used in pharmaceutical research to assist the drug selection process. Polymorphisms are used in mapping the human genome and to elucidate the genetic component of diseases. The reader is directed to the following references for background details on pharmacogenetics and other uses of polymorphism detection: Linder et al. (1997), Clinical Chemistry, 43, 254; Marshall (1997), Nature Biotechnology, 15, 1249; International Patent Application WO 97/40462, Spectra Biomedical; and Schafer et al. (1998), Nature Biotechnology, 16, 33.

[0008] Clinical trials have shown that patient response to treatment with pharmaceuticals is often heterogeneous. Thus there is a need for improved approaches to pharmaceutical agent design and therapy.

[0009] Point mutations in polypeptides will be referred to as follows: natural amino acid (using 1 or 3 letter nomenclature), position, new amino acid. For (a hypothetical) example “D25K” or “Asp25Lys” means that at position 25 an aspartic acid (D) has been changed to lysine (K). Multiple mutations in one polypeptide will be shown between square brackets with individual mutations separated by commas.

[0010] The present invention is based on the discovery of polymorphisms in P2X₇. In particular, we have found thirty polymorphisms in the coding sequence of the P2X₇ gene, 12 of which lead to changes in the sequence of expressed protein.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for the diagnosis of a polymorphism in P2X₇ in a human, which method comprises determining the sequence of the human at at least one polymorphic position and determining the status of the human by reference to polymorphism in P2X₇. Preferred polymorphic positions are one or more of the following positions:

[0012] positions 936, 1012, 1147, 1343 and 1476 in the 5′UTR region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 1;

[0013] positions 253, 488, 489, 760, 835, 853, 1068, 1096, 1315, 1324, 1405, 1448, 1494, 1513, 1628 and 1772 in the coding region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 2; and

[0014] positions 4780, 4845, 4849, 5021, 5554, 5579, 5535, 5845 and 6911 in the intron region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 3;

[0015] positions 76, 155, 245, 270, 276, 348, 357, 430, 433, 460, 490 and 496 in the P2X₇ polypeptide as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 4.

[0016] The term human includes both a human having or suspected of having a P2X₇ mediated disease and an asymptomatic human who may be tested for predisposition or susceptibility to such disease. At each position the human may be homozygous for an allele or the human may be a heterozygote.

[0017] The term “status” refers to the genetic status of the human as detected by potential sequence variation at defined positions of a polynucleotide or corresponding protein. The term “diagnosis of a polymorphism” refers to determination of the genetic status of an individual at a polymorphic position (in which the individual may be homozygous or heterozygous at each position).

[0018] The term polymorphism includes single nucleotide substitution, nucleotide insertion and nucleotide deletion which in the case of insertion and deletion includes insertion or deletion of one or more nucleotides at a position of a gene and corresponding alterations in expressed protein.

[0019] In one embodiment of the invention preferably the method for diagnosis described herein is one in which the polymorphism in the in the 5′UTR region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 1 is any one of the following: at position 936 is presence of C and/or A; at position 1012 is presence of T and/or C; at position 1147 is presence of A and/or G; at position 1343 is presence of G and/or A; and at position 1476 is presence of A and/or G.

[0020] In one embodiment of the invention preferably the method for diagnosis described herein is one in which the polymorphism in the coding region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 2 is any one of the following:

[0021] at position 253 is presence of T and/or C; at position 488 is presence of G and/or A;

[0022] at position 489 is presence of C and/or T; at position 760 is presence of T and/or G;

[0023] at position 835 is presence of G and/or A; at position 853 is presence of G and/or A;

[0024] at position 1068 is presence of G and/or A; at position 1096 is presence of C and/or G;

[0025] at position 1315 is presence of C and/or G; at position 1324 is presence of C and/or T;

[0026] at position 1405 is presence of A and/or G; at position 1448 is presence of C and/or T;

[0027] at position 1494 is presence of A and/or G; at position 1513 is presence of A and/or C;

[0028] at position 1628 is presence of G and/or T; and at position 1772 is presence of G and/or A.

[0029] In one embodiment of the invention preferably the method for diagnosis described herein is one in which the polymorphism in the intron region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 3. is any one of the following:

[0030] at position 4780 is presence of C and/or T; at position 4845 is presence of C and/or T;

[0031] at position 4849 is presence of A and/or C; at position 5021 is presence of T and/or C;

[0032] at position 5554 is presence of 3 and/or 4 repeats of GTTT (wherein position 5554 refers to the position of the G in the first unit repeat);

[0033] at position 5579 is presence of G and/or C; at position 5535 is presence of A and/or T;

[0034] at position 5845 is presence of C and/or T; and at position 6911 is presence of T and/or C.

[0035] In one embodiment of the invention preferably the method for diagnosis described herein is one in which the polymorphism in the P2X₇ protein as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 4. is any one of the following: val76ala, his155tyr, val245gly, arg270his, arg276his, ala348thr, thr357ser, pro430arg, ala433val gln460arg, ser490gly and glu496ala.

[0036] The method for diagnosis is preferably one in which the sequence is determined by a method selected from amplification refractory mutation system, restriction fragment length polymorphism and primer extension.

[0037] The status of the individual may be determined by reference to allelic variation at any 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 or more positions.

[0038] The test sample of nucleic acid is conveniently a sample of blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, sputum, or other body fluid or tissue obtained from an individual It will be appreciated that the test sample may equally be a nucleic acid sequence corresponding to the sequence in the test sample, that is to say that all or a part of the region in the sample nucleic acid may firstly be amplified using any convenient technique e.g. PCR, before analysis of allelic variation.

[0039] It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that there are a large number of analytical procedures which may be used to detect the presence or absence of variant nucleotides at one or more polymorphic positions of the invention. In general the detection of allelic variation requires a mutation discrimination technique, optionally an amplification reaction and optionally a signal generation system. Table 1 lists a number of mutation detection techniques, some based on the PCR. These may be used in combination with a number of signal generation systems, a selection of which is listed in Table 2. Further amplification techniques are listed in Table 3. Many current methods for the detection of allelic variation are reviewed by Nollau et al., Clin. Chem. 43, 1114-1120, 1997; and in standard textbooks, for example “Laboratory Protocols for Mutation Detection”, Ed. by U. Landegren, Oxford University Press, 1996 and “PCR”, 2^(nd) Edition by Newton & Graham, BIOS Scientific Publishers Limited, 1997.

[0040] Abbreviations: ALEX ™ Amplification refractory mutation system linear extension APEX Arrayed primer extension ARMS ™ Amplification refractory mutation system b-DNA Branched DNA bp base pair CMC Chemical mismatch cleavage COPS Competitive oligonucleotide priming system DGGE Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis ELISA Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay FRET Fluorescence resonance energy transfer LCR Ligase chain reaction MASDA Multiple allele specific diagnostic assay NASBA Nucleic acid sequence based amplification OLA Oligonucleotide ligation assay PCR Polymerase chain reaction PTT Protein truncation test RFLP Restriction fragment length polymorphism SDA Strand displacement amplification SNP Single nucleotide polymorphism SSCP Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis SSR Self sustained replication TGGE Temperature gradient gel electrophoresis

[0041] Table 1—Mutation Detection Techniques

[0042] General: DNA sequencing, Sequencing by hybridisation

[0043] Scanning: PTT*, SSCP, DGGE, TGGE, Cleavase, Heteroduplex analysis, CMC, Enzymatic mismatch cleavage

[0044] * Note: not useful for detection of promoter polymorphisms.

[0045] Hybridisation Based

[0046] Solid phase hybridisation: Dot blots, MASDA, Reverse dot blots, Oligonucleotide arrays (DNA Chips).

[0047] Solution phase hybridisation: Taqman™—U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,015 & U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,972 (Hoffmann-La Roche), Molecular Beacons—Tyagi et al (1996), Nature Biotechnology, 14, 303; WO 95/13399 (Public Health Inst., New York)

[0048] Extension Based: ARMS™, ALEX™—European Patent No. EP 332435 B1 (Zeneca Limited), COPS—Gibbs et al (1989), Nucleic Acids Research, 17, 2347.

[0049] Incorporation Based: Mini-sequencing, APEX

[0050] Restriction Enzyme Based: RFLP, Restriction site generating PCR

[0051] Ligation Based: OLA

[0052] Other: Invader assay

[0053] Table 2—Signal Generation or Detection Systems

[0054] Fluorescence: FRET, Fluorescence quenching, Fluorescence polarisation—United Kingdom Patent No. 2228998 (Zeneca Limited)

[0055] Other: Chemiluminescence, Electrochemiluminescence, Raman, Radioactivity, Colorimetric, Hybridisation protection assay, Mass spectrometry

[0056] Table 3—Further Amplification Methods

[0057] SSR, NASBA, LCR, SDA, b-DNA

[0058] Table 4 —Protein Variation Detection Methods

[0059] Immunoassay

[0060] Immunohistology

[0061] Peptide sequencing

[0062] Preferred mutation detection techniques include ARMS™, ALEX™, COPS, Taqman, Molecular Beacons, RFLP, and restriction site based PCR and FRET techniques. Immunoassay techniques are known in the art e.g. A Practical Guide to ELISA by D M Kemeny, Pergamon Press 1991; Principles and Practice of Immunoassay, 2^(nd) edition, C P Price & D J Newman, 1997, published by Stockton Press in USA & Canada and by Macmillan Reference in the United Kingdom. Histological techniques are described in Theory and Practice of Histological Techniques by J D Bancroft & A Stevens, 4^(th) Edition, Churchill Livingstone, 1996. Protein sequencing is described in Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Volume 9, Sequencing of Proteins and Peptides, G Allen, 2^(nd) revised edition, Elsevier, 1989. Particularly preferred methods include ARMS™ and RFLP based methods. ARMS™ is an especially preferred method.

[0063] In a further aspect, the diagnostic methods of the invention are used to assess the pharmacogenetics of a drug acting at P2X₇.

[0064] Assays, for example reporter-based assays, may be devised to detect whether one or more of the above polymorphisms affect transcription levels and/or message stability.

[0065] Individuals who carry particular allelic variants of the P2X₇ gene may therefore exhibit differences in their ability to regulate protein biosynthesis under different physiological conditions and will display altered abilities to react to different diseases. In addition, differences arising as a result of allelic variation may have a direct effect on the response of an individual to drug therapy. The diagnostic methods of the invention may be useful both to predict the clinical response to such agents and to determine therapeutic dose.

[0066] In a further aspect, the diagnostic methods of the invention, are used to assess the predisposition and/or susceptibility of an individual to diseases mediated by P2X₇. This may be particularly relevant in the development of hyperlipoproteinemia and cardiovascular disease and the present invention may be used to recognise individuals who are particularly at risk from developing these conditions.

[0067] In a further aspect, the diagnostic methods of the invention are used in the development of new drug therapies which selectively target one or more allelic variants of the P2X₇ gene. Identification of a link between a particular allelic variant and predisposition to disease development or response to drug therapy may have a significant impact on the design of new drugs. Drugs may be designed to regulate the biological activity of variants implicated in the disease process whilst minimising effects on other variants.

[0068] In a further diagnostic aspect of the invention the presence or absence of variant nucleotides is detected by reference to the loss or gain of, optionally engineered, sites recognised by restriction enzymes.

[0069] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a human P2X₇ gene or its complementary strand comprising a variant allelic polymorphism at one or more of positions defined herein or a fragment thereof of at least 20 bases comprising at least one novel polymorphism.

[0070] Fragments are at least 17 bases, more preferably at least 20 bases, more preferably at least 30 bases.

[0071] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a polynucleotide comprising at least 20 bases of the human P2X₇ gene and comprising a polymorphism selected from any one of the following: Polymorphism Region SEQ ID NO: 1 5′UTR  936 C→A 1012 T→C 1147 A→G 1343 G→A 1476 A→G Polymorphism Region SEQ ID NO: 2 exon 2  253 T→C exon 5  488 G→A  489 C→T exon 7  760 T→G exon 8  835 G→A  853 G→A exon 11 1068 G→A 1096 C→G exon 12 1315 C→G exon 13 1324 C→T 1405 A→G 1448 C→T 1494 A→G 1513 A→C 1628 G→T 1772 G→A Polymorphism Region SEQ ID NO: 3 intron E 4780 C→T 4845 C→T 4849 A→C intron F 5021 T→C 5554 (GTTT)n = 3, 4 5579 G→C 5535 A→T intron G 5845 C→T 6911 T→C

[0072] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a polynucleotide comprising at least 20 bases of the human P2X₇ gene and comprising an allelic variant selected from any one of the following: Variant Region SEQ ID NO: 1 5′UTR  936 A 1012 C 1147 G 1343 A 1476 G Variant Region SEQ ID NO: 2 exon 2  253 C exon 5  488 A  489 T exon 7  760 G exon 8  835 A  853 A exon 11 1068 A 1096 G exon 12 1315 G exon 13 1324 T 1405 G 1448 T 1494 G 1513 C 1628 T 1772 A Variant Region SEQ ID NO: 3 intron E 4780 T 4845 T 4849 C intron F 5021 C 5554 (GTTT)_(n), n = 4 5579 C 5535 T intron G 5845 T 6911 C

[0073] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a human P2X₇ gene or its complementary strand comprising a polymorphism, preferably corresponding with one or more the positions defined herein or a fragment thereof of at least 20 bases comprising at least one polymorphism

[0074] Fragments are at least 17 bases, more preferably at least 20 bases, more preferably at least 30 bases.

[0075] The invention further provides a nucleotide primer which can detect a polymorphism of the invention.

[0076] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an allele specific primer capable of detecting a P2X₇ gene polymorphism, preferably at one or more of the positions as defined herein.

[0077] An allele specific primer is used, generally together with a constant primer, in an amplification reaction such as a PCR reaction, which provides the discrimination between alleles through selective amplification of one allele at a particular sequence position e.g. as used for the ARMS™ arrays. The allele specific primer is preferably 17-50 nucleotides, more preferably about 17-35 nucleotides, more preferably about 17-30 nucleotides.

[0078] An allele specific primer preferably corresponds exactly with the allele to be detected but derivatives thereof are also contemplated wherein about 6-8 of the nucleotides at the 3′ terminus correspond with the allele to be detected and wherein up to 10, such as up to 8, 6, 4, 2, or 1 of the remaining nucleotides may be varied without significantly affecting the properties of the primer.

[0079] Primers may be manufactured using any convenient method of synthesis. Examples of such methods may be found in standard textbooks, for example “Protocols for Oligonucleotides and Analogues; Synthesis and Properties,” Methods in Molecular Biology Series; Volume 20; Ed. Sudhir Agrawal, Humana ISBN: 0-89603-247-7; 1993; 1^(st) Edition. If required the primer(s) may be labelled to facilitate detection.

[0080] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an allele-specific oligonucleotide probe capable of detecting a P2X₇ gene polymorphism, preferably at one or more of the positions defined herein.

[0081] The allele-specific oligonucleotide probe is preferably 17-50 nucleotides, more preferably about 17-35 nucleotides, more preferably about 17-30 nucleotides.

[0082] The design of such probes will be apparent to the molecular biologist of ordinary skill Such probes are of any convenient length such as up to 50 bases, up to 40 bases, more conveniently up to 30 bases in length, such as for example 8-25 or 8-15 bases in length. In general such probes will comprise base sequences entirely complementary to the corresponding wild type or variant locus in the gene. However, if required one or more mismatches may be introduced, provided that the discriminatory power of the oligonucleotide probe is not unduly affected. The probes of the invention may carry one or more labels to facilitate detection.

[0083] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an allele specific primer or an allele specific oligonucleotide probe capable of detecting a P2X₇ gene polymorphism at one of the positions defined herein.

[0084] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a diagnostic kit comprising an allele specific oligonucleotide probe of the invention and/or an allele-specific primer of the invention.

[0085] The diagnostic kits may comprise appropriate packaging and instructions for use in the methods of the invention. Such kits may further comprise appropriate buffer(s) and polymerase(s) such as thermostable polymerases, for example taq polymerase.

[0086] In another aspect of the invention, the polymorphisms of this invention may be used as genetic markers in linkage studies. This particularly applies to the polymorphisms of relatively high frequency. The P2X₇ gene is on chromosome 12q24 (Buell et al. Receptors and Channels, 1998, 5,347-354). Low frequency polymorphisms may be particularly useful for haplotyping as described below. A haplotype is a set of alleles found at linked polymorphic sites (such as within a gene) on a single (paternal or maternal) chromosome. If recombination within the gene is random, there may be as many as 2D haplotypes, where 2 is the number of alleles at each SNP and n is the number of SNPs. One approach to identifying mutations or polymorphisms which are correlated with clinical response is to carry out an association study using all the haplotypes that can be identified in the population of interest. The frequency of each haplotype is limited by the frequency of its rarest allele, so that SNPs with low frequency alleles are particularly useful as markers of low frequency haplotypes. As particular mutations or polymorphisms associated with certain clinical features, such as adverse or abnormal events, are likely to be of low frequency within the population, low frequency SNPs may be particularly useful in identifying these mutations (for examples see: Linkage disequilibrium at the cystathionine beta synthase (CBS) locus and the association between genetic variation at the CBS locus and plasma levels of homocysteine. Ann Hum Genet (1998) 62:481-90, De Stefano V, Dekou V, Nicaud V, Chasse JF, London J, Stansbie D, Humphries SE, and Gudnason V; and Variation at the von willebrand factor (vWF) gene locus is associated with plasma vWF:Ag levels: identification of three novel single nucleotide polymorphisms in the vWF gene promoter. Blood (1999) 93:4277-83, Keightley AM, Lam YM, Brady JN, Cameron CL, Lillicrap D).

[0087] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a computer readable medium comprising at least one novel sequence of the invention stored on the medium. The computer readable medium may be used, for example, in homology searching, mapping, haplotyping, genotyping or pharmacogenetic analysis.

[0088] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of treating a human in need of treatment with a drug acting at P2X₇ in which the method comprises:

[0089] i) diagnosis of a polymorphism in P2X₇ in the human, which diagnosis preferably comprises determining the sequence at one or more of the following positions: positions 936, 1012, 1147, 1343 and 1476 in the 5′UTR region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 1;

[0090] positions 253, 488, 489, 760, 835, 853, 1068, 1096, 1315, 1324, 1405, 1448, 1494, 1513, 1628 and 1772 in the coding region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 2; and

[0091] positions 4780, 4845, 4849, 5021, 5554, 5579, 5535, 5845 and 6911 in the intron region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 3; and

[0092] positions 76, 155, 245, 270, 276, 348, 357, 430, 433, 460, 490 and 496 in the P2X₇ polypeptide as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 4;

[0093] and determining the status of the human by reference to polymorphism in P2X₇; and

[0094] ii) administering an effective amount of the drug.

[0095] Preferably determination of the status of the human is clinically useful Examples of clinical usefulness include deciding which drug or drugs to administer and/or in deciding on the effective amount of the drug or drugs. The term “drug acting at P2X7” means that drug binding with P2X₇ in humans is an important part of a drug exerting its pharmceutical effect in man. Compounds which are known to be antagonists of the P2X7 receptor are described in published PCT application nos. WO 99/29660, WO 99/29661, WO 99/29686, WO 00/61569, WO 00/71529, WO 01/42194, WO 01/44170, WO 01/44213 and WO 01/46200. According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided use of a drug acting at P2X₇ in preparation of a medicament for treating a disease in a human diagnosed as having a polymorphism therein, preferably at one or more of the positions defined herein.

[0096] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical pack comprising P2X₇ drug and instructions for administration of the drug to humans diagnostically tested for a polymorphism therein, preferably at one or more of the positions defined herein.

[0097] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an allelic variant of human P2X₇ polypeptide comprising at least one of the following:

[0098] a alanine at position 76 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0099] a tyrosine at position 155 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0100] a glycine at position 245 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0101] a histidine at position 270 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0102] a histidine at position 276 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0103] a threonine at position 348 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0104] a serine at position 357 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0105] a arginine at position 430 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0106] a valine at position 433 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0107] a arginine at position 460 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0108] a glycine at position 490 of SEQ ID NO 4; and

[0109] a glutamic acid at position 496 of SEQ ID NO 4;

[0110] or a fragment thereof comprising at least 10 amino acids provided that the fragment comprises at least one allelic variant.

[0111] Fragments of polypeptide are at least 10 amino acids, more preferably at least 15 amino acids, more preferably at least 20 amino acids.

[0112] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an antibody specific for an allelic variant of human P2X₇ polypeptide as described herein

[0113] Antibodies can be prepared using any suitable method. For example, purified polypeptide may be utilized to prepare specific antibodies. The term “antibodies” is meant to include polycional antibodies, monoclonal antibodies, and the various types of antibody constructs such as for example F(ab′)₂, Fab and single chain Fv. Antibodies are defined to be specifically binding if they bind the allelic variant of P2X₇ with a K_(a) of greater than or equal to about 10⁷ M⁻¹. Affinity of binding can be determined using conventional techniques, for example those described by Scatchard et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 51:660 (1949).

[0114] Polyclonal antibodies can be readily generated from a variety of sources, for example, horses, cows, goats, sheep, dogs, chickens, rabbits, mice or rats, using procedures that are well-known in the art. In general antigen is administered to the host animal typically through parenteral injection. The immunogenicity of antigen may be enhanced through the use of an adjuvant, for example, Freund's complete or incomplete adjuvant. Following booster immunizations, small samples of serum are collected and tested for reactivity to antigen. Examples of various assays useful for such determination include those described in: Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual, Harlow and Lane (eds.), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 1988; as well as procedures such as countercurrent immuno-electrophoresis (CIEP), radioimmunoassay, radioimmunoprecipitation, enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assays (ELISA), dot blot assays, and sandwich assays, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,376,110 and 4,486,530.

[0115] Monoclonal antibodies may be readily prepared using well-known procedures, see for example, the procedures described in U.S. Patent Nos. RE 32,011, 4,902,614, 4,543,439 and 4,411,993; Monoclonal Antibodies, Hybridomas: A New Dimension in Biological Analyses, Plenum Press, Kennett, McKearn, and Bechtol (eds.), (1980).

[0116] The monoclonal antibodies of the invention can be produced using alternative techniques, such as those described by Alting-Mees et al., “Monoclonal Antibody Expression Libraries: A Rapid Alternative to Hybridomas”, Strategies in Molecular Biology 3: 1-9 (1990) which is incorporated herein by reference. Similarly, binding partners can be constructed using recombinant DNA techniques to incorporate the variable regions of a gene that encodes a specific binding antibody. Such a technique is described in Larrick et al., Biotechnology, 7: 394 (1989).

[0117] Once isolated and purified, the antibodies may be used to detect the presence of antigen in a sample using established assay protocols, see for example “A Practical Guide to ELISA” by D. M. Kemeny, Pergamon Press, Oxford, England.

[0118] According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a diagnostic kit comprising an antibody of the invention.

[0119] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a polynucleotide comprising any one of the following twenty six P2X₇ haplotypes: 835 853 1068 1096 1405 1012 489 5579 SEQ SEQ SEQ SEQ SEQ 1513 SEQ ID 1 SEQ ID 2 SEQ ID 3 ID 2 ID 2 ID 2 ID 2 ID 2 SEQ ID 2 1 T T C G G A G A A 2 C C G G G G C A A 3 C C C A G G C A C 4 C T G G G A C G A 5 C C G G G A G A A 6 C C C A G G C A A 7 T T G G G A C G A 8 C T C G G G C A A 9 C C C G G A C A A 10 C T G G G G C A C 11 T C G G G A C A A 12 C T C G G G C A C 13 T C C G G A C A A 14 T C C G G G C A C 15 C T C G G A C A A 16 T T C G G A C G A 17 C C G G G A C G A 18 T C G A A G C A A 19 C C C G G G G A A 20 T C C G G G G A A 21 C T C A G G C A A 22 C C C G G G C A C 23 C T G G A A G G A 24 T T G G G A G G A 25 C T C G G G G A A 26 C C C G G G C A A

[0120] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a human P2X₇ polypeptide comprising one of the following eighteen combinations of alleleic variant determined amino acids based on positions identified in SEQ ID NO: 4: 155 270 276 348 357 460 496 1 Y R R T S Q E 2 Y R R T T R E 3 Y R R T T Q E 4 Y R R T S R E 5 Y R R A T Q A 6 Y R R A T Q E 7 Y R R A S Q E 8 Y R H T S R E 9 Y H R A T Q E 10 H R R T T Q E 11 H R R T T R E 12 H R R A T Q A 13 H R R A S Q E 14 H R R A T Q E 15 H R R T S Q E 16 H H R A T Q A 17 H H R A T Q E 18 H H H A T Q E

[0121] According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a polynucleotide which encodes any human P2X₇ polypeptide combination of allelic variants defined herein.

[0122] The invention will now be illustrated but not limited by reference to the following Examples. All temperatures are in degrees Celsius.

[0123] In the Examples below, unless otherwise stated, the following methodology and materials have been applied.

[0124] AMPLITAQ™, available from Perkin-Elmer Cetus, is used as the source of thermostable DNA polymerase.

[0125] General molecular biology procedures can be followed from any of the methods described in “Molecular Cloning—A Laboratory Manual” Second Edition, Sambrook, Fritsch and Maniatis (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1989) or “Current Protocols in Molecular Biology”, Volumes 1-3, Edited by F M AsubeL R Brent & R E Kingston, published by John Wiley, 1998.

[0126] Electropherograms were obtained in a standard manner: data was collected by ABI377 data collection software and the wave form generated by ABI Prism sequencing analysis (2.1.2).

EXAMPLE 1

[0127] Identification of Polymorphisms

[0128] 1. Methods

[0129] DNA Preparation

[0130] DNA was prepared from frozen blood samples collected in EDTA following protocol I (Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, p392, Sambrook, Fritsch and Maniatis, 2nd Edition, Cold Spring Harbor Press, 1989) with the following modifications. The thawed blood was diluted in an equal volume of standard saline citrate instead of phosphate buffered saline to remove lysed red blood cells. Samples were extracted with phenol, then phenol/chloroform and then chloroform rather than with three phenol extractions. The DNA was dissolved in deionised water.

[0131] Template Preparation

[0132] Templates were prepared by PCR using the oligonucleotide primers and annealing temperatures set out below. The extension temperature was 72° and denaturation temperature 94°. Generally 50 ng of genomic DNA was used in each reaction and subjected to 35 cycles of PCR. Where described below, the primary fragment was diluted {fraction (1/100)} and two microlitres were used as template for amplification of secondary fragments. PCR was performed in two stages (primary fragment then secondary fragment) to ensure specific amplification of the desired target sequence. Polymorphisms in P2X₇ protein Region Size Polymorphism change frequency 5′UTR  936 C→A  3/56 1012 T→C 42/56 1147 A→G  3/56 1343 G→A  2/52 1476 A→G 35/52 exon 1  146 bp intron A 21.7 kb exon 2  168 bp  253 T→C val76ala  2/54 intron B  1.1 kb exon 3   68 bp intron C  4.7 kb exon 4   73 bp intron D  1.5 kb exon 5   95 bp  488 G→A silent  2/54  489 C→T his155tyr 17/38 intron E  2.8 kb 4780 C→T 39/52 4845 C→T 39/52 4849 A→C 28/36 exon 6   80 bp intron F  617 bp 5021 T→C  1/34 5554 (GTTT) n = 3, 4 n = 3, 14/40 5579 G→C 26/40 5535 A→T  1/44 exon 7  129 bp  760 T→G val245gly  1/40 intron G  1.3 kb 5845 C→T  2/40 6911 T→C 33/50 exon 8  136 bp  835 G→A arg270his 16/52  853 G→A arg276his  1/54 intron H exon 9   91 bp intron I  1.7 kb exon 10   64 bp intron J   84 bp exon 11  149 bp 1068 G→A ala348thr 18/62 1096 C→G thr357ser  5/66 intron K exon 12  101 bp 1315 C→G pro430arg,  4/66 splice site intron L  3.8 kb exon 13  497 bp 1324 C→T ala433val  1/54 1405 A→G gln460arg  3/54 1448 C→T silent  2/54 1494 A→G ser490gly  2/54 1513 A→C glu496ala  8/54 1628 G→T silent  2/52 1772 G→A silent 24/54

[0133] Positions in the 5′ UTR refer to SEQ ID NO: 1.

[0134] Positions in exons refer to SEQ ID NO: 2.

[0135] Positions in introns refer to SEQ ID NO: 3.

[0136] Positions in protein refer to SEQ ID NO: 4.

[0137] Evidence for effects of some polymorphisms on transcription are as follows. C at position 1012 SEQ ID No 1 disrupts the TCAAT motif from an enhancer binding sequence reported in intron 1 of EGFR. A at position 1147 SEQ ID No 1 disrupts the reverse sequence of the TCCTGC motif which is also an enhancer binding sequence from intron 1 EGFR.

[0138] (Maekawa T., Imamoto F., Merlino G. T., Pastan I., Ishii S.

[0139] Cooperative Function of Two Separate Enhancers of RT the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Proto-oncogene J. Biol. Chem. 264:5488-5494 (1989)).

EXAMPLE 2

[0140] Haplotype Analysis

[0141] a) The following allele frequencies were determined in a Swedish population. SEQ ID NO Position Frequency 1 1012 46/60 2 489 27/60 3 5579 39/60 2 835 16/58 2 853  3/60 2 1068 24/58 2 1096  6/58 2 1045 11/60 2 1513 10/60

[0142] b) Haplotype Data.

[0143] Analysis of 15 Swedish families with at least one asthmatic child using primer extension (SNapShot™, Perkin Elmer) genotyping and GeneHunter™ analysis demonstrated the following haplotypes: Frequency 1012 489 5579 835 853 1068 1096 1405 1513 n/58 1 T T C G G A G A A 1 2 C C G G G G C A A 3 3 C C C A G G C A C 1 4 C T G G G A C G A 5 5 C C G G G A G A A 1 6 C C C A G G C A A 8 7 T T G G G A C G A 1 8 C T C G G G C A A 3 9 C C C G G A C A A 3 10 C T G G G G C A C 2 11 T C G G G A C A A 2 12 C T C G G G C A C 3 13 T C C G G A C A A 4 14 T C C G G G C A C 1 15 C T C G G A C A A 2 16 T T C G G A C G A 1 17 C C G G G A C G A 2 18 T C G A A G C A A 2 19 C C C G G G G A A 1 20 T C C G G G G A A 1 21 C T C A G G C A A 4 22 C C C G G G C A C 3 23 C T G G A A G G A 1 24 T T G G G A G G A 1 25 C T C G G G G A A 1 26 C C C G G G C A A 1

[0144] position SEQ ID Frequency No 4 155 270 276 348 357 460 496 N/58 amino Y R R T S Q E 1 acid Y R R T T R E 7 Y R R T T Q E 2 Y R R T S R E 1 Y R R A T Q A 5 Y R R A T Q E 3 Y R R A S Q E 1 Y R H T S R E 1 Y H R A T Q E 4 H R R T T Q E 9 H R R T T R E 2 H R R A T Q A 4 H R R A S Q E 3 H R R A T Q E 3 H R R T S Q E 1 H H R A T Q A 1 H H R A T Q E 8 H H H A T Q E 2

[0145] c) Analysis

[0146] Ben J. Gu, Weiyi Zhang, Rebecca A Worthington, Ronald Sluyter, Phuong Dao-Ung, Steven Petrou, Julian A Barden, and James S. Wiley, J. Biol. Chem. (2001) 276: 11135-11142 reported that Ala at 496 (C at 1513) leads to loss of function in P2×7. Only one polymorphism was reported since they only analysed the final exon for SNPs

1 4 1 4900 DNA Homo sapiens 1 gactcactat agggagaccg gcagatctga tatcatcgcc actgtggatc cgaattctag 60 aaggcctatg ttctaagcat caggctttac ctgtgaatct cctcttttta cagatgaaga 120 tgactgtatc actcagattc ccggcaggaa agcaatggca tactcaagtg gggtaactaa 180 tgatggaacc atttacaaag gtgtggacag agttaagaaa aagcaatagg agatagtgag 240 cttcctgggg ctggtaagag tggggagccc ttaccactcc caggactaaa ggagggagtg 300 gtgcccagaa gccctgccta tatgcaactg agaagggcag ggccagggag tcacgtccat 360 cctcactgct ctccagtctc ctgaactgga agccagaagg tgaggggaac cctgatgcag 420 tttgtatgtg tgagaaagta caattagttt agactgaaaa actgaaaatc tacccggcca 480 cttagcaggc tggaataaca gaaatggatc aagccagctg taaagataac agggaacaat 540 aattctctgt agctgtaaag tgataataca accctgcatc tttgagtgac tgctgaaaca 600 ttgtccttta aaatcagaga ccttcagaaa cttcgctgtt tgaaattaca tgactaagac 660 tgaaatattc caattttgcc tggaagattt aagtcatctt gacacagaga agcagcctca 720 atttacaact caggagcaga gcttcagata aagattttct ggacacattt gacatgtatc 780 ttagctatgt tgcttcctag gaaacagggc cctgggtcct ctttgcaatc cagactgaag 840 ttgactgctt tgtacaaacc tgttttgctt tgagtccatc aaaacatgac ttcatttaga 900 ttttatctca actccacttt cctcggaatc ctatamtaaa ttgctgtttt cctttgtttg 960 gtgatgtgcg tagctcttct ggtgggtggt gtccctcact gaataggtca ayaaacctaa 1020 ctttgttgga ctgccactgt gtccctggtg atctttggct gattggtcta ggtcatagat 1080 cgacctgccg gggtgcagag gagggtggag agtaactcag agggtcaagc atgaaagatc 1140 tggcagraaa ataaagcccc tccaccccca ccacccctac ccctgcaaat ctgatttccc 1200 ccaccaactg cagaccagag tattataagg ggcggtggaa gaagaggggg agatcttcat 1260 ttacccagag ctcctataca tcaggggctg aataaagggt tgtagaaatg aatgaatcaa 1320 tctctgagtg gggcttcagg cartggaaag atctcagtcc ttttctgagg cataatggaa 1380 gctcccagtc ttgtgacatt tgcaaggctg cccctttctc ccaagagaca tgagaccaaa 1440 aaagtgaaag gaaagggggg aaaagggaga attctraaaa tgcccatcct ctgaacacca 1500 tctttgtgta ggcatctggg ggaggccagc tggggtgagg tcatctgcca gccaggcccg 1560 taggacttgg cgcttcttgt ttatcacagc cacatgtggg gccactgcca gggcccgccc 1620 caactctgca gtcattggag gagcttgaag ttaaagactc ctgctaaaaa ccagtacgtt 1680 tcattttgca gttactggga gggggcttgc tgtggccctg tcaggaagag tagagctctg 1740 gtccagctcc gcgcagggag ggaggctgtc accatgccgg cctgctgcag ctgcagtgat 1800 gttttccagt atgagacgaa caaagtcact cggatccaga gcatgaatta tggcaccatt 1860 aagtggttct tccacgtgat catcttttcc tacgtttggt aagtgggatc tggggaggac 1920 ccagatctct gcagtggccg acagcacaga aagccccagc gggcagcttc aggtgcacat 1980 tctgaatctc acatggtttt cgaatctgag acgtgctctc acagccagct gggcgggagg 2040 gaggaagcag cagcaggcaa gaggaaacgg tgccaggctg cagcagagag aagccacagg 2100 acaagcggga ttcctttctg ctctacttca ggcccgccag ggcgcgcaag gcagggcgtg 2160 cctggggaag gtaggaaagc gcagggcaac accctggatc cccagggagg aggcgaggat 2220 ctcagggcac gcctggtgat catgctggca tctgagtcac catgcttggg aggaatagga 2280 ccaggcttga aaatgtgtta taactttagg tcctcaccaa cgtcaggaag gccctgcttt 2340 ttggtttttg tttcttctaa aagaaactta ctgagatata atttatacac catacaattg 2400 acccatttaa agggtaccat ttaatgattt tcagattatt cccagagttg tgcaaccatc 2460 cccacaatca attttagaat attttaatcg actcaaaagg aatcccacac tccttcacca 2520 tcatttccaa cactgttcct cctccttccc acccatcaat ttcctttctg cctctatgga 2580 tttgccgatt ctggacattt catataaatg gaatcacata atatgtggtc ctttgtggca 2640 cttagcgtgt tttcaatgct catccatgtt gtagcatgtg ttgatacttc attcaatttt 2700 tttttttaaa gagacggggt ctcactattt tgtccaggct ggtctcaaac tcctggactc 2760 aagtgatctg cctgcctcgg cctcccaaag tgtcaggatt acaggcgtga gccattgcac 2820 ccggctgata cttcattcct ttttacggct gagtagtact ccattgcatg gatagaccac 2880 ttttttctat ccattcatcc attgatggac attggggttg tttctctttt ttggctatca 2940 tgaataatgc cacatgaaca tttgtgtaca aggttttatg tggatatata ttctcctttc 3000 tctcgaatat gtacctaaga gtaaaaattg ctaggtcata tgttaactat gtttcacctt 3060 tggggggaat gtggagctga atttcacagc agctgcagtt ttttacattc ctatcagcag 3120 agtatgaggg atccaatttc tccacatcct caccaacgct tgttatcgtc tgtctttttg 3180 ggttttgttg ttgtcatttt gtttttgtct ttgagatgaa gtcttgctct gttgcccagg 3240 ctggagtgca gtggcgcaat cttggctcac tgcaacctcc acctccccgg ttcaagcgat 3300 tctcctgcct cagcctcatg agtagctggg attacaggtg tgcgtcacca ctcctcacta 3360 atttttgtat ttttagtaga gatgaggttt cgccatgtag gccaggctgg tctcaaactc 3420 ctgacctcaa gtgatccgcc caccttggcc tcccaaagtg ctgggattac aggcatgagc 3480 cgccacgccc ggctgattgt ctgtcttttt tattatagcc atgctagtgg gtgtgaagtg 3540 gtagttcatt gtggttgtga tttgaatttc cctgatggtg agtgcctctt attctctgtg 3600 ctgattgata atgatgatga aggcaatttg tatctataga gtggcagtgt agtttactaa 3660 gagttagggt aacttatttc atagtactgg ctatgtcttc tgggccaagt cattaacttc 3720 tctgagcctc agtttctgca tctgttcata gggttgtggc aattaaccaa aaaaaaaagg 3780 catgaacagc ccttatcatg atgactgaca taggataaga gctccataac tagtatctat 3840 ttttaaaaat aatcttttta agtctgggag tggtggctca cacctgtaat cccaacactt 3900 tgggaggccg aggcgggtgg atcacgaagt caggagtttg agaccagcct ggccaatatg 3960 gtgaaacccc atctctacta aaaatacaaa aattagtggg gagtggtggt gcacacctgt 4020 aatcccagct actagggagg ctgaggcagg agaatcgctt gaacccggag gcggaggttg 4080 cagtgagccg agatcaagcc actgcactcc agcctgggtg acagagcaag actccatctc 4140 aaaataataa taatagtaat aatttttttg attatataat agtatatatg tatataaaat 4200 acatgtatgt atttttatct atatcctctg ctctgaccct caaagtaacc acgtccaagt 4260 tcaggatttg aaatctggaa acgtggattc aaaaatcctt cacctctttg agccttggtt 4320 tcatcatctg taaaatgggg agaattgttg ataggaatat taaatgaact aataaatgca 4380 aagctgtttg agaaatatat ggcatatagt aatccctgat taagtgttag ttcttattat 4440 taataatgct attattagga ttattattat tcgattcata tgtttactgt tcaacaaata 4500 ttgaatgata aacatatatg ctgggtccgg catggtggcc catgcctgta attccagcac 4560 tttgggaggc caaggcgggc aggtcacttg aggtcaagag tttgagacca gcctggccaa 4620 tgtggtggaa actccatctg tgctaaaaat acaaaaatta gccgggcatg gtggtgggtg 4680 cctgtaatcc cagctactcg ggaggctgag acaggagaat cacttgaacc caggaggtgg 4740 aggttgcagt gagccaagat tgcaccactg cactccagcc tgagccacag agcaagactc 4800 tgtctcaaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaatatata tatatatata tatatatata gtatttttag 4860 tagagatggg gttttgccat ctcttatata tttttatatt 4900 2 1853 DNA Homo sapiens 2 aaaacgcagg gagggaggct gtcaccatgc cggcctgctg cagctgcagt gatgttttcc 60 agtatgagac gaacaaagtc actcggatcc agagcatgaa ttatggcacc attaagtggt 120 tcttccacgt gatcatcttt tcctacgttt gctttgctct ggtgagtgac aagctgtacc 180 agcggaaaga gcctgtcatc agttctgtgc acaccaaggt gaaggggata gcagaggtga 240 aagaggagat cgyggagaat ggagtgaaga agttggtgca cagtgtcttt gacaccgcag 300 actacacctt ccctttgcag gggaactctt tcttcgtgat gacaaacttt ctcaaaacag 360 aaggccaaga gcagcggttg tgtcccgagt atcccacccg caggacgctc tgttcctctg 420 accgaggttg taaaaaggga tggatggacc cgcagagcaa aggaattcag accggaaggt 480 gtgtagtrya tgaagggaac cagaagacct gtgaagtctc tgcctggtgc cccatcgagg 540 cagtggaaga ggccccccgg cctgctctct tgaacagtgc cgaaaacttc actgtgctca 600 tcaagaacaa tatcgacttc cccggccaca actacaccac gagaaacatc ctgccaggtt 660 taaacatcac ttgtaccttc cacaagactc agaatccaca gtgtcccatt ttccgactag 720 gagacatctt ccgagaaaca ggcgataatt tttcagatgk ggcaattcag ggcggaataa 780 tgggcattga gatctactgg gactgcaacc tagaccgttg gttccatcac tgccrtccca 840 aatacagttt ccrtcgcctt gacgacaaga ccaccaacgt gtccttgtac cctggctaca 900 acttcagata cgccaagtac tacaaggaaa acaatgttga gaaacggact ctgataaaag 960 tcttcgggat ccgttttgac atcctggttt ttggcaccgg aggaaaattt gacattatcc 1020 agctggttgt gtacatcggc tcaaccctct cctacttcgg tctggccrct gtgttcatcg 1080 acttcctcat cgacasttac tccagtaact gctgtcgctc ccatatttat ccctggtgca 1140 agtgctgtca gccctgtgtg gtcaacgaat actactacag gaagaagtgc gagtccattg 1200 tggagccaaa gccgacatta aagtatgtgt cctttgtgga tgaatcccac attaggatgg 1260 tgaaccagca gctactaggg agaagtctgc aagatgtcaa gggccaagaa gtccsaagac 1320 ctgygatgga cttcacagat ttgtccaggc tgcccctggc cctccatgac acacccccga 1380 ttcctggaca accagaggag atacrgctgc ttagaaagga ggcgactcct agatccaggg 1440 atagcccygt ctggtgccag tgtggaagct gcctcccatc tcaactccct gagrgccaca 1500 ggtgcctgga ggmgctgtgc tgccggaaaa agccgggggc ctgcatcacc acctcagagc 1560 tgttcaggaa gctggtcctg tccagacacg tcctgcagtt cctcctgctc taccaggagc 1620 ccttgctkgc gctggatgtg gattccacca acagccggct gcggcactgt gcctacaggt 1680 gctacgccac ctggcgcttc ggctcccagg acatggctga ctttgccatc ctgcccagct 1740 gctgccgctg gaggatccgg aaagagtttc craagagtga agggcagtac agtggcttca 1800 agagtcctta ctgaagccag gcaccgtggc tcacgtctgt aatcccacct ttt 1853 3 11270 DNA Homo sapiens modified_base (5554)..(5569) This range may encompass 3 or 4 gttt repeats 3 catcacctac aaaggaaacc ccaaatccag tagcagtcac tccccattct ccccttcccc 60 tgtccctggc cacagtctac tttctgtctc tatagatgcc tattctggac atttcctata 120 aatagaattg tatatggtgt ggccttttgt gtctgtcttc tttcactcag catcatgttc 180 tccaggtcca tccatgttgt agcctgtgtc attgcttcat ccttcttatg gctaaataag 240 attctgtgta tgaatgtacc acattttatt tgtccattca tccgtcagtg gccacttgca 300 tggtttccac ttttttggcg attctgagta gtgctgctat aagcattcgt gtgcacattc 360 tggtggatat cgaatcactt ctccacatct tagtaacaca cgtcacttac tccccactct 420 gtcatccttc tatctgcagt atcccacccg caggacgctc tgttcctctg accgaggttg 480 taaaaaggga tggatggacc cgcagagcaa aggtaccttc tgtttctttt cccgagaccc 540 taggggtgga tggtctggca tcttggtgac atttgtgatg cccaggtcag gtcttcagcc 600 tctgctctca gctgccctct tccaccatca ccaagccata ggcgagtctg cccatgcttc 660 ggctctgtcc ccagcagacc agctgctgac tgtaaacatg actccagttt tccagtgaga 720 gaagaagctc ctaaaaacct agcaggttca ggattctaat cggtagaaaa ttcacatggc 780 ctatagcatc atctgagtat tctaaacttt ccccctgaat ttcctcaaag gttgaggacc 840 atgaactttt acccccaggg gaacctggca gcaataccca tattaacctg cagaattttt 900 tttgtttttt attttatttt attttttaaa cattttttgc actgttttat tttgattttg 960 attttgattt tatttatatc taagtgcagt gctattgcga tactgcagaa tttctttatc 1020 tcacatttta acttaaaaag gcacagggca gcgagcgcag aggctggtgc ctgtaatccc 1080 agcactttgg gagggtgagg cagatggatg cttgaggtca ggggttcgag aacagcctgg 1140 aaaacatggt gaaaccccgt ctctactaaa aatacaaaaa tcagccagac atggtggcac 1200 acgcttataa tcccagctac ttgggaggct gagacgtgag aatcacttga acctggaagg 1260 cagaggttgc agtgagccaa gatcatgcca ctgcactcca gcatgggtga cagagcgaga 1320 cccctttaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaggcacag ggcaatttta aaaatactgc aaatagtaaa 1380 aaaaaaaaaa tcagtggtta taatgcaaac acacacaaaa aggcatatgc ccattactgc 1440 attctactcc atactgtatg tgtatttgag ttagtataaa agttatttta acattgctca 1500 ctatttaatt aattctccct tggaaactga ttaatcatcc tggcactcca ggaagatgtg 1560 ccatgctgat ttcatggctt tgcacatcct gggcaggctg tgtacccctt gagggacttg 1620 tgcccctttg agaggccatg ttctagtcca tttatactaa gtgagagcat acacctgttc 1680 cgctcccctc atgggcacct tttcttataa agaaacaaaa gagccagcag aatccacagt 1740 ctttctgtgt tctctctgat ctttattatg ttttgcttgt ttgccttgcc ttgtgttcgt 1800 tgtggttagg atgggcttga tggaagctga agctgcgtgg gttggaaagc ctggtcaaag 1860 cctagtctct cgcccgggtt gagttaatga tgtccctcct ggagaacgtc ctctctgcag 1920 ttctttcaca tctgtggttc tacgatgctt tgacccctat aggaattcag accggaaggt 1980 gtgtagtgca tgaagggaac cagaagacct gtgaagtctc tgcctggtgc cccatcgagg 2040 cagtggaaga ggccccccgg tgagtcgcat ggggagacag acacagtggc cctcagcggc 2100 gaccagatga ggccttgccg aggctgcttg ggccttcccc tctcagcaca gccctgcaaa 2160 gtcctgggtc ctaccggctt ggggacccct gcgctctgga tgcactgctt ggcacaaact 2220 agtatctctg ggagggccat ggtggttggt aaactgttgt aacactcctg taccaactgg 2280 taaatagcta ctaccctgag catccttggg tgtccctggc cccttccttc ccccagatct 2340 tccagggtac ccccagaccc cctcctgtag tgccacagca ggatcccttc tgacttgtca 2400 gtgtccatac tgagtgatca aggataggaa ggaaggaggg agatggaaag gaaggacgaa 2460 gcgaggaaag agaaggggaa ggggaggaaa aagcaaaagg ggtgagggta aaagaggggg 2520 ggaaaggaag ttttctcaaa ttaaatgctt acaatgacat acagatttgg tggtcccttg 2580 tattgatgct tcgcttcaat acacaaagtc acaatgttaa atctcagaag ccacaagggc 2640 tgatgtattt cagcagagaa tagttagaaa gacctggatt caattcctag ctctaacacc 2700 attttgctgt gtgtccttgg gaaaatggct taacctctct gagtttcagt gtcctcacct 2760 gtaaaagcag aataataatt tcaccaactt catagggctg ttgtaaggat taaatgagat 2820 gatacttgta cagttattgt aaggtaagcc ccatgcatgc ctggcttaca cacacacaca 2880 cacacacaca cacacacacg cacacacaca cacacacaca atctacccct agaagtgtgg 2940 tggttctaga ccagcactgt ccaattgaac ttgatgcagt gatggaaatt tctgtatctg 3000 tgctgtccaa tagggcagct actaggtaca tgtggctatt gagtacatga aatgcgacta 3060 ctgaattttt gaaagagatg atagatgata gatagaaaga tagatagata gataaataga 3120 tagataatag atagatagac aggtagatag atagatagat agatagatag atagatagat 3180 agatagagtt ttgctatgtt gcccaggctg gttttgaact cctgggctca agcgatcctc 3240 ctgccttggc ctcccaaagt gctggggtta caggtttgag ccattgctcc cagcctgaat 3300 ttttaattaa atttaaattt aaatagccac acatgtctag tggctaccat attggacagc 3360 gcagttctag accgatgtga ttcaggatca ttccctcagc atcgtggggc aaagagaaaa 3420 ctgccccaag ctggcctgta gaaggctcag gcgaaggttt cccaatgccg ggatgggggg 3480 tgcgctcagc agcatcaccc cttatgattc tcaatcgcta atagctccac tcaggttcat 3540 ttctcggtca ggggcatttc tttgggaatc acccagctct gggagataca gcagcctcca 3600 ctcaggtagt ccttgttcaa gacaagcggc ccttgactga ctgcagtttc agttccagct 3660 ctgctatcaa ctcactcatt aaataaactg catctccagt gtgcctgcct ctgggctgga 3720 ttttgacgtg acctgggcaa gcaactccct gaacttcagt ttctcatata ttatatgaat 3780 tagctaagat ggttcgttta atcattcatt caacacatcc atcaccacgt agtaggtgtt 3840 agatatttat ttcatacgta actacgcata agagactttg ctaagtttta ggtaaaatac 3900 aagtcccaga tacggagcaa gtctcaacca ctgtacatac ctgaatgtgt aattacatca 3960 ctgtaagagg tgccacagta aatgccactg ggtcttgtgt tagtccattc tcacacaaag 4020 aactacctag ccaggtgcgg tggctcacgc ctgtaatccc aacactttgg caggctgagg 4080 caggcggatc acttgaggtc aggagtttga taccagcctg gcaaacatgg tgaaacccca 4140 tctctattaa aaaatgcata aattagccag gtgtggtggc acacgcctgt aatcctggct 4200 actcgggagg ctgaggcagg agagtcgctt gaacccggga gatggaggtt gcagtgaccc 4260 gagatcgcgc cactgcactc cagcctgggt gacagagtga gactccatct cagaaaaaaa 4320 taaaaataaa aataaagaac tacctgagac caaacacttt acgaaaaaaa agaggtttaa 4380 ttgactcaca gctccacagg cttaacagga agcctcagga gacttacaat catggcagaa 4440 ggcgaagggg aagcaaacac atcttaccat gatggagcag gaggcgggtt tcgggggatg 4500 tgccgcacac ttttaaatga tcagatctcg tgagaactca ctcactatca cgagaacagc 4560 aaggaggaag tccgccccca tgattcagtc acctcccacc aggcccctcc tctggcacat 4620 ggggattaca attcaagatg agatttgggt ggggacacag agccaaacca tatcagatct 4680 caagaaggga gaaattcttc ttggaggagc tggaggggct ttgtggagag tttcagaatg 4740 ctttgcccac taggtttgct gtatccattt ctcttcatgy atcccaaaga ccaagccaag 4800 aaaccagaag cctctggtcc cactggccca tgggctccct cggtycccmc cgtcactaat 4860 ggccattttg catgtctctc tcccaggcct gctctcttga acagtgccga aaacttcact 4920 gtgctcatca agaacaatat cgacttcccc ggccacaact acaccacgta agtgcccagg 4980 ctgcctggct gtcttagtta tctactgctg agtaataaat yatcccaaac ctcagaagcc 5040 tgaaacaaca aacgcctatt gtctcccacg gtttctgtgg gtcaggaatc tgggaatgac 5100 tttgctgcgt ggttctggct caaggtctgt caggttgtag ccaagctgtc aaccagggct 5160 gcagtcattt ctaggcttga ctggggctgg agaacccttt tccaagctct cacacagttg 5220 ctcgtgggag agctcagttc ctcaccacgt gaacctcgcc ctagaccact tgagtatcct 5280 tggtatatgg tggctggctt ctcccagagc aagtgaccca agagagacag agcaagcaac 5340 caagagtata accaagatgg aagccacagt ctttgggggg agaccccaac acttctgcca 5400 tatgccattg gtcacacaga tcaaccctgg tccagtgtga gaggccactg cccaggggtc 5460 ccaggaggca gggatcattt ggggctttca tggaacctct ccaccacact ggctcactcc 5520 tgggaaagag acagwtctgt tttcaatcga gatgtttgtt tgtttgtttg cttttaatta 5580 tgsacaggag aaacatcctg ccaggtttaa acatcacttg taccttccac aagactcaga 5640 atccacagtg tcccattttc cgactaggag acatcttccg agaaacaggc gataattttt 5700 cagatgtggc aattcaggtt ggtggtgctt tgtacactgg gatgtggggc tgtgtgtcta 5760 gggatggagg atgtcaaaca gccaagaggc cgggccactg ggtcttcata atgtggctca 5820 catttactga gcatttagta aatccaccyg ctgcgctaag gtctttacct acgctacctc 5880 gtcaaatccc aaaacaatcc ttatgagtga gagctacttg gtgtattcct ttcctgtggc 5940 tgctgtagca agttatcaaa gcttagtggc ttcaaacaac acatatttgc ttatgttgcc 6000 agagatcaga agttggagat gattttccct gagccagggc ggtgctccct ctgggacttt 6060 aagggagaat ccagttcctc agcttttcca ccttctggag ctgcattcct tgcatttctt 6120 caaagccagc agcataacat cttgcctcag tggccacttt cactccctat cctgtgtcca 6180 atctcccttt gcctctgtct taaaaagaga gagagcattt acaagagggg gcatttaagg 6240 accaactgga taatccagga taatctccca tctcaagatc cttcatttag gctgggcacg 6300 gtggctcatg cctgtaatcc cagcactttg ggaggctgag gtgggtggat cacctgaggt 6360 caggagttca acaccagcct ggccaacatg gtgaaagccc atctttacta aaaatacaaa 6420 aaaaaaaaaa aaatagccgg gcatgattgc gggctcctgt aatcccagct actcgggagg 6480 ctgagacagg agaatcgctt gaacctggga ggcagaggtt gcagtgagcc gagatcgcac 6540 cactgcactc cagcctaggt gacaagagcg aaactccatc tcaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaatc 6600 cttcatgtat tcgcatctgc aaagagcttt ccctagggga gtactaggag gtaaagcaga 6660 aaagatattt gatagagtgc cctgaattcc agtctaataa gtttggactt gatctttaat 6720 gggggcgtgg ggggcattaa aggtgtttgg gtacaggagt ggtctgttga aagttgtatt 6780 ttaggacaat gagtttaaca gtgatgtgtc ccagacgggg gtagggagag tgaggagatg 6840 cgattgtggc tgccacaata acacttgtgc gagttaggtg gggctgtaca tatggttctt 6900 caatcagcat ttttyctcta aaaaccttaa gcaatcctgg ctatgcaggg agatgtctgg 6960 cggttgcgta actcacaccc agcagccata gagactgtcc cttgttgatc cttcagggcg 7020 gaataatggg cattgagatc tactgggact gcaacctaga ccgttggttc catcactgcc 7080 gtcccaaata cagtttccgt cgccttgacg acaagaccac caacgtgtcc ttgtaccctg 7140 gctacaactt caggtaactc caaggcccag gtcaaactca cccagtggct gaatcgcatt 7200 cccaggaact ggtgagacta attttggttt ccaaggcaac aagatgaatg aaaaaagact 7260 ttctctaaga actaggtgat aactgaattt tttccataat tttttaaaat tctcaaaaga 7320 gatacactct ttatttttta cttatttttt tttttttgaa atggagtctc actctgtcac 7380 ccaggctgaa gtgcagtggc gccatctcag tcactgcaaa cttccgcctc ccaggttcaa 7440 gcgactctcc tgcctcagcc tcccaagtag ctgagattac aggcggatgc acactgttta 7500 taaaacaaaa ctattgggaa acagaaaagc atagaggggg atcaaaatcg cccataattc 7560 ccctaccctg aaataatcaa taacaaccct cgggggaatt ttcctcatct gtaccaatta 7620 tttcatacag ctcctatgag atcatagcat atatatatat atatcttgtg gtattctgca 7680 gggtttttca taccacagcc actcaaaatt ctttgtaacc atcacattaa tgatcataac 7740 attccatttt gtaggtgaac aaataacaac tgctacaatt caggaagtgt tttcttttct 7800 tttcttttct tttctttttt ttttttagat ggagtcacac tctgcttgcc caggctggag 7860 tgcagtggca tgatctcagc tcactgcaac ctctgcctcc taggtccaag cgatcctccc 7920 acctcccaag tttctgggac cacaggcatg tgccaccaca cccagctaat ttttgtatat 7980 tcagtagaga tggggtttca ctgtgttggc cagtctggtc tcgaactctt gacctcaagt 8040 gatcttccca ccttggcttc ccaaagtgct aggattacag tcatgagcca ctgtgcctgg 8100 cccaaggagg gttttccata taccaagcac tccccatcgc catccctaaa tctcccaaca 8160 accctggaag gaagatattg tttctggaag atgatttgcc caagacccac agctgatagt 8220 acatgtttgc ataattctaa cccacgttca ctctgacccc acactcacac tcccatccct 8280 tcccttccca tctcaatgat tttctcaccg tacgcctcca tgaattgaat atttgagttg 8340 cttcccagtt tttctagtac aagtaaccac agtgtgcatc tttgcaccgt aaacttcttc 8400 tttgaattcc agggttactt ccctaggata aatttcctag acttattgaa tcaaaggttg 8460 tgaacatttt atcatatgct ttttattttt aaaaatatct atggttataa tgtttcattt 8520 ttttttctga gacagagtct cactctgtca cccaggttgg agtggaccgg gtgcaattat 8580 agctcactgc aacctctgcc tcccaggccc aagtgatcct cccacctcag cctcctgagt 8640 agctaggact acaggtgcat gccaccatgc ccagctaatt tttaaaattt ttttgtagag 8700 tcggggtctc actatattgc ccaggctggt ctcaaactcc tggctcaagc aatccgcctg 8760 ccttggcctc ctaaagcgtt gggattgcag gtgtgagcta ctgcacctgg cctataattt 8820 tcatttctag gatttttatt tggtgctttt tcaaagtcat ctattattgt tccagtgagt 8880 cccattctta ccttaaggat cctactcctt ctgtccattc tactgtatca ttcctttcat 8940 accgacctat tatctgaagt aacttgggtg ggagttctcc tcgtgggctt tgaaatactg 9000 tcttcagtag aaaagatctt atgcaaagtt ctgcatgtgc tgtgtgttat ggagtattcc 9060 ttatatatta ctcaaagcag cttcatgaac tggcaggcag ccccttaaat gtgtttctgt 9120 ttctgttttt ttgttttttg gtctgcatga tgttttaaaa cttgagacag gccaggtgcg 9180 gtggcttatg cctgtaatcc cagcactttg ggaggccaag gtgggaggat cacttgaacc 9240 cgggggtttg aggctagcct gggcaacata gggagacccc atctctacaa ataataattt 9300 ttaaaacatc agccaggtgt gggggcatgc acctctggtc ccagctactc aggaggctga 9360 ggcaggagga ttgcttgaac ctgggaggtt gaggctgcag tgaaccgtgg ttgtgccact 9420 gcactccagc ctgggtgaca gagtgagacc cttacatggt ggccactggc tggagctgag 9480 tatcagtggt cctatttaga aaggggctgg gctttctggt tcatcactgt ccccgccgct 9540 ccttagtgct tatacctggc ccacatcact catttctgtc atctgcctgg cccctgtgta 9600 gacatttgag tttgaaaccc ttgactcaaa ggcaggctga tgctttttgc ttcctctgga 9660 tcaatggaat ttcatccaag gcaatggaac cagctcctaa ttgtgataac tttttgatca 9720 tcccctgcca ctgtgctgaa taggcttatg gccattaaga agagaggaca ggatgaatgg 9780 tcccctgact gactgccctt ccagggtgtt tttttagctg tcagcagaag catgcggggc 9840 agtgtaccaa tcaggtgtca gcaagtgtcc ttccagcgac tgagttgagc acaaaaacat 9900 ctgctcctgg agagacctga gccctctgaa ggcctcagcc agttatgatg ttaatgttct 9960 tttagaacaa agtggtacac ccatttgttg tctggaatga gcaccagaac aaatctttgg 10020 ccaaaaataa attgttgagg gccgggagca gtggcttatg cctgtaatcc caacactttg 10080 ggaggccgaa gcaggaggat cacctgaggt caggagttcg agaccagcct ggccaacatg 10140 gtgaaaccct gtctctccta aaaatacaaa aattagctgg acgtggtgac aggtgcctgt 10200 aatacagcta ctgggaggct gaggcaggga gaactgcttg aacccggaag gtggaggttg 10260 cagtgagccg gggtcatgcc acttcactcc agcctgggca acagagcaaa gctctgtctt 10320 taaaaacaac ttaaataaat aaataaattg ttgaggtctg atgagtaagt ggacaagtta 10380 ttttccagca gacacacaaa agagaaggaa attacaggtt ataggaggta tttcagaaaa 10440 tataactttc taaaacatag gaagttgaag aagttgatca cattacagaa ttctgttgtt 10500 tagaaaatga cctgtggcga aatgtcctta ttcagtgaat aggtgattcc gcttatgcac 10560 gacctgtgtg aagtggatca ggccacccag aatgcacgat gcgcttctca ggcccagcag 10620 gagtatgtgt ctgtgttaat ttcctgtggc tattatgact aattgccaca aatgtggtgg 10680 cttaaaacaa cagaaattaa tcttcttata gttctggaag ccagaagttt ggaatcaaga 10740 tgtcagcagg gccacactcg ctctgatgct ctacgggagg gtcctctctt gcctcttcca 10800 gcgtctggtg gctccaggca ttccataact ttatagcagc gtcccacaaa tctctgcctc 10860 catcctcaca tggccttctc cactgtgtct ctatgtcttc aatctctttt tttttttttt 10920 ttttttgagg cagggtttca ctccagtctc ctagactgaa gtgcaatggc gtaatttcgg 10980 gtcactgcaa cctctgcctc ccgggctcaa gcgatttgat ctctccttta tcttataaag 11040 atactagtca ttggatttgg ggcttaccct aaatccagga taatctcatc ttgagatgtt 11100 taacttaatt atatctgcaa acactgtatt tccaaataag gtcatatcac agccactagg 11160 gattagatac ttgaacatat cttatttggg ggctcaaccc attccagtgt acgaaaaaca 11220 ctcttgttca aggcccgatg tttctcaggg catagcccac tgactacctg 11270 4 595 PRT Homo sapiens MOD_RES (76) Ala or Val 4 Met Pro Ala Cys Cys Ser Cys Ser Asp Val Phe Gln Tyr Glu Thr Asn 1 5 10 15 Lys Val Thr Arg Ile Gln Ser Met Asn Tyr Gly Thr Ile Lys Trp Phe 20 25 30 Phe His Val Ile Ile Phe Ser Tyr Val Cys Phe Ala Leu Val Ser Asp 35 40 45 Lys Leu Tyr Gln Arg Lys Glu Pro Val Ile Ser Ser Val His Thr Lys 50 55 60 Val Lys Gly Ile Ala Glu Val Lys Glu Glu Ile Xaa Glu Asn Gly Val 65 70 75 80 Lys Lys Leu Val His Ser Val Phe Asp Thr Ala Asp Tyr Thr Phe Pro 85 90 95 Leu Gln Gly Asn Ser Phe Phe Val Met Thr Asn Phe Leu Lys Thr Glu 100 105 110 Gly Gln Glu Gln Arg Leu Cys Pro Glu Tyr Pro Thr Arg Arg Thr Leu 115 120 125 Cys Ser Ser Asp Arg Gly Cys Lys Lys Gly Trp Met Asp Pro Gln Ser 130 135 140 Lys Gly Ile Gln Thr Gly Arg Cys Val Val Xaa Glu Gly Asn Gln Lys 145 150 155 160 Thr Cys Glu Val Ser Ala Trp Cys Pro Ile Glu Ala Val Glu Glu Ala 165 170 175 Pro Arg Pro Ala Leu Leu Asn Ser Ala Glu Asn Phe Thr Val Leu Ile 180 185 190 Lys Asn Asn Ile Asp Phe Pro Gly His Asn Tyr Thr Thr Arg Asn Ile 195 200 205 Leu Pro Gly Leu Asn Ile Thr Cys Thr Phe His Lys Thr Gln Asn Pro 210 215 220 Gln Cys Pro Ile Phe Arg Leu Gly Asp Ile Phe Arg Glu Thr Gly Asp 225 230 235 240 Asn Phe Ser Asp Xaa Ala Ile Gln Gly Gly Ile Met Gly Ile Glu Ile 245 250 255 Tyr Trp Asp Cys Asn Leu Asp Arg Trp Phe His His Cys Xaa Pro Lys 260 265 270 Tyr Ser Phe Xaa Arg Leu Asp Asp Lys Thr Thr Asn Val Ser Leu Tyr 275 280 285 Pro Gly Tyr Asn Phe Arg Tyr Ala Lys Tyr Tyr Lys Glu Asn Asn Val 290 295 300 Glu Lys Arg Thr Leu Ile Lys Val Phe Gly Ile Arg Phe Asp Ile Leu 305 310 315 320 Val Phe Gly Thr Gly Gly Lys Phe Asp Ile Ile Gln Leu Val Val Tyr 325 330 335 Ile Gly Ser Thr Leu Ser Tyr Phe Gly Leu Ala Xaa Val Phe Ile Asp 340 345 350 Phe Leu Ile Asp Xaa Tyr Ser Ser Asn Cys Cys Arg Ser His Ile Tyr 355 360 365 Pro Trp Cys Lys Cys Cys Gln Pro Cys Val Val Asn Glu Tyr Tyr Tyr 370 375 380 Arg Lys Lys Cys Glu Ser Ile Val Glu Pro Lys Pro Thr Leu Lys Tyr 385 390 395 400 Val Ser Phe Val Asp Glu Ser His Ile Arg Met Val Asn Gln Gln Leu 405 410 415 Leu Gly Arg Ser Leu Gln Asp Val Lys Gly Gln Glu Val Xaa Arg Pro 420 425 430 Xaa Met Asp Phe Thr Asp Leu Ser Arg Leu Pro Leu Ala Leu His Asp 435 440 445 Thr Pro Pro Ile Pro Gly Gln Pro Glu Glu Ile Xaa Leu Leu Arg Lys 450 455 460 Glu Ala Thr Pro Arg Ser Arg Asp Ser Pro Val Trp Cys Gln Cys Gly 465 470 475 480 Ser Cys Leu Pro Ser Gln Leu Pro Glu Xaa His Arg Cys Leu Glu Xaa 485 490 495 Leu Cys Cys Arg Lys Lys Pro Gly Ala Cys Ile Thr Thr Ser Glu Leu 500 505 510 Phe Arg Lys Leu Val Leu Ser Arg His Val Leu Gln Phe Leu Leu Leu 515 520 525 Tyr Gln Glu Pro Leu Leu Ala Leu Asp Val Asp Ser Thr Asn Ser Arg 530 535 540 Leu Arg His Cys Ala Tyr Arg Cys Tyr Ala Thr Trp Arg Phe Gly Ser 545 550 555 560 Gln Asp Met Ala Asp Phe Ala Ile Leu Pro Ser Cys Cys Arg Trp Arg 565 570 575 Ile Arg Lys Glu Phe Pro Lys Ser Glu Gly Gln Tyr Ser Gly Phe Lys 580 585 590 Ser Pro Tyr 595 

1. A method for the diagnosis of a polymorphism in P2X₇ in a human, which method comprises determining the sequence of the human at one or more of the following positions: positions 936, 1012, 1147, 1343 and 1476 in the 5′UTR region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 1; positions 253, 488, 489, 760, 835, 853, 1068, 1096, 1315, 1324, 1405, 1448, 1494, 1513, 1628 and 1772 in the coding region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO:2; and positions 4780, 4845, 4849, 5021, 5554, 5579, 5535, 5845 and 6911 in the intron region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 3; positions 76, 155, 245, 270, 276, 348, 357, 430, 433, 460, 490 and 496 in the P2X₇ polypeptide as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 4; and determining the status of the human by reference to polymorphism in P2X₇.
 2. Use of a diagnostic method as defined in claim 1 to assess the pharmacogenetics of a drug acting at P2X₇.
 3. A polynucleotide comprising at least 20 bases of the human P2X₇ gene and comprising an allelic variant selected from any one of the following: Variant Region SEQ ID NO: 1 5′UTR  936 A 1012 C 1147 G 1343 A 1476 G Variant Region SEQ ID NO: 2 exon 2  253 C exon 5  488 A  489 T exon 7  760 G exon 8  835 A  853 A exon 11 1068 A 1096 G exon 12 1315 G exon 13 1324 T 1405 G 1448 T 1494 G 1513 C 1628 T 1772 A Variant Region SEQ ID No: 3 intron E 4780 T 4845 T 4849 C intron F 5021 C 5554 (GTTT)_(n), n = 4 5579 C 5535 T intron G 5845 T 6911 C


4. A nucleotide primer which can detect a polymorphism as defined in claim
 1. 5. An allele specific primer capable of detecting a P2X₇ gene polymorphism as defined in claim
 1. 6. An allele-specific oligonucleotide probe capable of detecting a P2X₇ gene polymorphism as defined in claim
 1. 7. Use of a P2X₇ gene polymorphism as defined in claim 1 as a genetic marker in a linkage study.
 8. A method of treating a human in need of treatment with a drug acting at P2X₇ in which the method comprises: i) diagnosis of a polymorphism in P2X₇ in the human, which diagnosis preferably comprises determining the sequence at one or more of the following positions: positions 936, 1012, 1147, 1343 and 1476 in the 5′UTR region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 1; positions 253, 488, 489, 760, 835, 853, 1068, 1096, 1315, 1324, 1405, 1448, 1494, 1513, 1628 and 1772 in the coding region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 2; and positions 4780, 4845, 4849, 5021, 5554, 5579, 5535, 5845 and 6911 in the intron region of the P2X₇ gene as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 3; and positions 76, 155, 245, 270, 276, 348, 357, 430, 433, 460, 490 and 496 in the P2X₇ polypeptide as defined by the position in SEQ ID NO: 4; and determining the status of the human by reference to polymorphism in P2X₇; and ii) administering an effective amount of the drug.
 9. An allelic variant of human P2X₇ polypeptide comprising at least one of the following: a alanine at position 76 of SEQ ID NO 4; a tyrosine at position 155 of SEQ ID NO 4; a glycine at position 245 of SEQ ID NO 4; a histidine at position 270 of SEQ ID NO 4; a histidine at position 276 of SEQ ID NO 4; a threonine at position 348 of SEQ ID NO 4; a serine at position 357 of SEQ ID NO 4; a arginine at position 430 of SEQ ID NO 4; a valine at position 433 of SEQ ID NO 4; a arginine at position 460 of SEQ ID NO 4; a glycine at position 490 of SEQ ID NO 4; and a glutamic acid at position 496 of SEQ ID NO 4; or a fragment thereof comprising at least 10 amino acids provided that the fragment comprises at least one allelic variant.
 10. An antibody specific for an allelic variant of human P2X₇ polypeptide as defined in claim
 9. 11. A polynucleotide comprising any one of the following twenty six P2X₇ haplotypes: 853 1068 1096 1405 1012 489 5579 835 SEQ SEQ SEQ SEQ 1513 SEQ ID 1 SEQ ID 2 SEQ ID 3 ID 2 ID 2 ID 2 ID 2 ID 2 SEQ ID 2 1 T T C G G A G A A 2 C C G G G G C A A 3 C C C A G G C A C 4 C T G G G A C G A 5 C C G G G A G A A 6 C C C A G G C A A 7 T T G G G A C G A 8 C T C G G G C A A 9 C C C G G A C A A 10 C T G G G G C A C 11 T C G G G A C A A 12 C T C G G G C A C 13 T C C G G A C A A 14 T C C G G G C A C 15 C T C G G A C A A 16 T T C G G A C G A 17 C C G G G A C G A 18 T C G A A G C A A 19 C C C G G G G A A 20 T C C G G G G A A 21 C T C A G G C A A 22 C C C G G G C A C 23 C T G G A A G G A 24 T T G G G A G G A 25 C T C G G G G A A 26 C C C G G G C A A


12. A human P2X₇ polypeptide comprising one of the following eighteen combinations of allelic variant determined amino acids based on positions identified in SEQ ID NO: 4: 155 270 276 348 357 460 496 1 Y R R T S Q E 2 Y R R T T R E 3 Y R R T T Q E 4 Y R R T S R E 5 Y R R A T Q A 6 Y R R A T Q E 7 Y R R A S Q E 8 Y R H T S R E 9 Y H R A T Q E 10 H R R T T Q E 11 H R R T T R E 12 H R R A T Q A 13 H R R A S Q E 14 H R R A T Q E 15 H R R T S Q E 16 H H R A T Q A 17 H H R A T Q E 18 H H H A T Q E


13. A polynucleotide which encodes any human P2X₇ polypeptide as defined in claim
 12. 